This application relates to means for displaying a picture or the like on a shoe and particularly a flexible shoe such as a sneaker.
Heretofore, several proposals have been made which relate to the visual display of a picture or the like on a shoe. These displays were usually in the form of a separate outwardly accessible side pocket disposed on the upper side portion of the shoe into which the picture was inserted. A pocket was provided by a separate plastic piece secured by stitching or the like to the outside surface of the upper portion or saddle of the sneaker or to some other portion thereof. Either the top or the side edge of the pocket was not stitched to the shoe thereby providing an opening slit into which the pictue or other visual display was inserted. The following U.S. patents disclose such structure: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,280,287, 2,801,477, 1,952,409 and 1,100,758.
Other U.S. patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,154,410 and 1,320,683 deal with outwardly disposed pockets in remote arts such as negative holders and album leaves.
While these means for providing for the display of a picture or the like in these prior art disclosures was functionally satisfactory for display purposes, there is no protection provided against the elements or against the ingress of dirt and debris through the aperture into the pocket itself. As a consequence, the picture or other visual display would soon become soggy and dirty and both the display and the shoe were unsightly and unattractive.
Furthermore, in the course of conventional use of the shoe the picture or other visual display became dislodged due to vibratory action whereupn it could pass out of the pocket through the aperture and be lost or it could wrinkle within the pocket itself.
The present invention overcomes these problems of the prior art and provides a visual display area on the saddle or upper side portion of the sneaker or other flexible shoe means which is not exposed to the elements or the dirt and debris which might be encountered during the use of the shoe. Furthermore, the visible display is held firmly in position during the running use and is not dislodged by vibratory or abrasive action.